Danielle Sweetnam-Holmes

Staff Physician, Division of Paediatric Emergency Medicine

POCUS Faculty, Division of Paediatric Emergency Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children

Co-Director, S.C.O.P.E. (SickKids Curriculum Optimizing Point-of-Care Ultrasound Education)

Principal Investigator, Translational Medicine

Academic Clinician, Department of Paediatrics

Dr. Danielle A.S. Holmes is a paediatric emergency physician, educator, and clinical innovator at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). Her work focuses on point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), medical education, quality improvement, and equitable access to care.

Dr. Holmes developed S.C.O.P.E. (SickKids Curriculum Optimizing POCUS Education), a longitudinal competency-based POCUS curriculum for paediatric residents, and leads educational initiatives that support practical POCUS bedside learning. Dr. Holmes also leads multidisciplinary work to improve access to sedation and diagnostic imaging for children, supported by a Garry Hurvitz Brain and Mental Health Grant. Through her work, Dr. Holmes aims to strengthen clinical education, optimize healthcare delivery, and improve outcomes for children and families.

Research

Dr. Holmes' research focuses on educational innovation, implementation science, and quality improvement in paediatric emergency medicine. She studies how point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) can be integrated into paediatric training and clinical practice to improve bedside decision-making and patient outcomes. Her work includes S.C.O.P.E. (SickKids Curriculum Optimizing POCUS Education), PEP-C POCUS training, POCUS Buddy, and POCUS B.A.D.G.E. Buddy, which support ultrasound skill development and clinical integration.

Dr. Holmes also Co-leads IN:DExED (Intranasal Dexmedetomidine for ED Imaging), a multidisciplinary initiative exploring procedural sedation and equitable access to diagnostic imaging for children. Through her research, Dr. Holmes seeks to develop practical, scalable approaches that strengthen clinical education and healthcare delivery.

Education and experience 

• 2022–2023: Fellowship in Point-of-Care Ultrasound, Department of Paediatrics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• 2019–2022: Fellowship in Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, USA
• 2019: Chief Resident, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA
• 2016–2019: Residency in Pediatrics, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, New York, USA
• 2012–2016: Doctor of Medicine (MD), magna cum laude, St. George's University School of Medicine, True Blue, Grenada
• 2009–2011: Master of Science (MSc), Department of Neuroscience, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
• 2004–2009: Honours Bachelor of Science (BSc), Biology with a Minor in Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Achievements:

• 2026: PEM Fellows' Choice Award, Division of Paediatric Emergency Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• 2026: Favourite POCUS Instructor Award, SickKids Site, AFC Acute Care Point-of-Care Ultrasonography Fellowship Program, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• 2026: Outstanding Clinical Teacher Award, Emergency Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• 2025: Certificate of Appreciation, Speaker at Paediatric Emergency Symposium, Resuscitation and Research Events, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• 2025: PEM Fellows' Choice Wellness Champion Award, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• 2022: Certificate of Courage, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, USA
• 2019: Resident of the Year Award, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, New York, USA
• 2019: Team Leader of the Year Award, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, New York, USA

Selected abstracts and poster presentations

• 2026: Procedures, Probes, and Paediatric Residents: A Blended Model for Point-of-Care Ultrasound Training. Poster Presentation, Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP) Annual Conference, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
• 2026: Full-View (Focused) Ultrasound for Lower-Pelvis and Level Verification: Standardizing Bladder Readiness Assessment to Improve Pelvic Ultrasound Imaging in the Pediatric Emergency Department. Poster Presentation, Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP) Annual Conference, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
• 2025: POCUS B.A.D.G.E. Buddy: Bringing Advances in Diagnostic Guidance and Education with Point-of-Care Ultrasound. Poster Presentation, Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP) Annual Conference, Montreal, QC, Canada. This work subsequently resulted in an article accepted for publication in Pediatric Emergency Care.
• 2025: Low-Cost POCUS Task Trainer for Identifying Skull Fracture in Infants (Innovation Abstract). International Pediatric Simulation Society (IPSS), Munich, Germany
• 2024: Role of Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) in the Diagnosis and Management of Unilateral Internal Jugular Vein Phlebectasia: A Novel POCUS Case Report. Ultracon E-Poster Presentation.

1. Holmes DAS, Harel-Sterling M, Palnizky Soffer G, Kvatinsky N, Capua M. A Badge-Sized Cognitive Aid and Pediatric Point-of-Care Ultrasound Integration in the Emergency Department. Pediatric Emergency Care. 2026. Accepted for publication.
2. Aljahdali N, Sweetnam-Holmes D, Collia N. Case Report: Swelling without a bruise: delayed-onset traumatic parotitis in a child following minor blunt facial trauma. Frontiers in Disaster and Emergency Medicine. 2026; 3:1736819.
3. Lee MS, Sweetnam-Holmes D, Soffer GP, Harel-Sterling M. Updates on the clinical integration of point-of-care ultrasound in pediatric emergency medicine. Current Opinion in Pediatrics. 2024;36(3):256-265.
4. Tejani N, Holmes D, Tejani N. Pediatric Patient Encounter in the Emergency Department. In: Pediatric Ophthalmology in the Emergency Room. Springer. 2021;3-13.
5. Sweetnam Holmes D, & Brown CE. Stroke induces long-lasting deficits in the temporal fidelity of sensory processing in the somatosensory cortex. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism. 2013;33(1): 91-96.

Funding

• 2025—2027: S.C.O.P.E. - SickKids Curriculum Optimizing Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Education, Principal Investigator, Paediatric Consultant’s Education Development and Innovation Grant’s Committee, $10,000 CAD
• 2025—2027: Intranasal Dexmedetomidine for ED Imaging: A Sedation Equity and Diagnostic Efficiency Initiative (IN:DExED), Principal Investigator, Brain and Mental Health Outcomes Catalyst Grant, $100,000 CAD